Improvement in hatchways



JAMES D.. SINOLA-IR, OF BROOKLYN, NEW-YORK.

Letters Patent No. 84,387, dated November 24, 1868.

'nvrPR'o'vnMnNT IN HATCHWAYS. i

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part'of the same.

To all whom it ma/y concern Be it known that I, J AMES D. SINCLAIR, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented a new and improved Apparatus for Opening and Closing Hatches and I do hereby declare thatl the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable those skilledin the artto make and use the same, reference beinghad 'to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this speciiication, in

.one of the doors, so that it will not be necessary for such person to go, for that purpose, to each and every door.

The invention consists, rst, in connecting all hatches by means of a rope or chain, that passes over pulleys xed to stationary framework, so that, by pulling such Vrope on any one of the doors, the uppermost hatch will first be opened, and then the others in succession.

The invention further consists in providing swinging hooks on the framework,- and pins on the hatches, by'

means of which the `said hatches will be automatically held open, when opened in the aforesaid manner.

The invention nally consists in connecting the aforesaid swinging hooks with eachother by means of a cord, so that they can be all lifted oi the pins by pulling such cord, thereby releasing the hatches and letting them drop 'by their own weight.

A, inthe drawing, represents the upper floor of a suitable building, in which a hatch, B, is arranged.

C is the-lowermo'st floor, having a hatch, I).v

'E is one of the intermediate oors, having a hatch, F.

On theupper floor A, or on a door above it, is arranged a suitable hoisting apparatus, by means of which goods can beelevated or lowered to or from any one of the' oors. f

Each one of the hatches has proj ectinglugs', between which a roller, a, is held, as shown.

Each hatch is hinged on one side to the floor, so that it can be swung up or down at will.

On the same side on which the hatches' are hinged, are arranged, on the floors, posts, G G, or other stationary devices for holding small sheave-rollers, b b, as is clearly shown in iig. 1.

H is a rope or chain, fastened with one end to some stationary device between the lowermost floor O and the next oor above.

The rope is then passed over the roller a ofr the lowest hatch, D, then back over the lowest roller, b, then `up to the next story over a roller, b, over the roher a of the/hatch F, and so on around all the rollers a of the different hatches, until, on the upper story, it passes over the uppermost roller, b, and extends thence downward tlnoughall the floors to the lower story. By then pulling the rope H on anyone of the doors, the upper hatch B will first be swung open, as shown by red lines in fig. l, and then the others successively, until, when the lowest hatch F is raised, itcan be no further pulled.

On the side of each hatch is formed a pin, c, which lits, when the hatch is swung open, under a hook, rl, pivoted to the stationary post G, as shown.

This hook keeps the hatch open, as shown, and retains it in that position.

On every floor is such a hook, and al1 the hooks are connected with each other by means of a cord, e, as

shown, so that, by pulling such ,cord e, all the hooks can at once be swung around their `pivots to release the hatches, when they will fall shut by their own weight.

It it evident that by means of the rope H, the upper hatch alone, or any number of the upper hatches can be opened, so that the'hoisting-apparatus' may be employed on that alone.

If, instead of the ordinary suspended rope, an elevator is used, which consists of an up-and-down sliding platform, and which commences 4to operate from the lower door, the rope H may be so arranged as to iirst open the lower hatch, and then the others in succession.

The rope H may be arranged in many diierent ways so as to connect the hatches with each other.

If the hatches should not be apt to fall by their own weight when released from the hook, springs, j, may be provided on the` postsA Gr to throw them down when thus released.

If the hatches should be arranged in pairs, there must be a connection, like that above described, for every set of leaves.

I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The arrangement of the pulleys a b, the cord or chain H, and the hatches B D F, whereby the latter are opened successively, substantially as described, for the 

